Improvement in automaton rope-walkers



identit States @sind delitti.

Letters Patent No. 109,618, dated November 29, 1870.l

IMPROVEMENT IN AUTOMATON ROPE-WALKERS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom 'it may' concern Be it known that I, HENRY A. HOUSE, Of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and improved Toy, which l denominate an Automaten Rope-Walker; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making part of this specificattion, iu whichV v Figure l, plate I, represents the toy balanced and in the act of walking on a rope.

Figure 2, plate 1,is a view, partly in section, ofthe ligure with clothing removed. Figure 3, plate 1, is a perspective view of the ense for the body of the automaton.

Figure 4, p latc. 2, is a side view, partlyin section, of the automaton.

Figure 5, plate 2, is a posterior view.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

M y invention relates-- First, to a walking-automaton kept in position upon its support by a balancing-pole;

Second, to a guide, in combination with the balancing-pole and walking-automaton;

lhird, to a combination of devices by which the stepping movements are produced;

Fourth, to diagonal grooves'in the soles of the feet of the walking-automaton;

Fifth, to a socketed section of balancing-pole, attached to the hands ofthe automaton, in combination with detachable sectionsof said pole;

Sixth, to a casing which gives the fornito the body of the tigure, in combination with the iame which supports the gearing which nctuates the walkingfig ure; and

Seventh, to leg sections of the iigure, made bowing inwardly, so that the feet of the autematon will both step in the same line.

'lo enable others skilled inthe art tov understand my invention, I will explain its construction and operation. v

'.lhc body of the figure consists of two fiat plates', A A, which are secured together at a proper distance apart by posts, and shaped as near as possible to resemble the contour of the front and back of the huv man body. lhesc plates, thus connected together,

constitute a frame for containing and supporting the driving mechanism shown in iig. 1.

Frein the upper ends of plates A A4 ears le. h rise, which are perforated transversely, and receive through them a pin, 7i,.that connects the head H ofthe ligure to the body, shown in figs. 4 and 5.

The arms AA' are curved strips, whicharc secured fast to plates A A, and bent so as to leave the arms akimbo and the hands grasping-therod a in front of the body. v

The rod (t has screwsookets, a' d', made into its upper and lower ends, to receive screw-threaded sections that form the balancing-pole C.

This pole C has a light ball, G2, on its upper end. and a loaded balancing-ball, G1, ou its lower end.

The pole is connected to the rope R, o'n which the figure walks, by means of a spiral loop, c, or by a ring somewhat larger than the diameter of the rope.

The lower limbs are jointed, at i i, to the plaies A A, and consist, 1 'espectivcly, of a thigh section, D, and leg sections l and E.

The metal section l is jointed at (l, to give the knee articulation, audit is also connected at d to the light leg portion E, which llatter is made of wood, or

other light material, hollowed out to receive the section I, as shown in lig.` 4.

'lo the lower end ot' the section l, at ff the lower backwardly-eurved end of a vibrating and endwisemoving rod, F, is pivoted, which rod extends up 4alongside ofthe body A, nearly to the headfH.

lhis rod F is connected eccentrically to a rotating "crank-plate,' G, at g, and above this crank-plate the rod is slotted, at g2, and receive a guide-pin, gl, through its slot, which pin is fixed into the plate A. By thc rotation offcrank-plate G, and the action of pin yl on the-rod F, the lower limb receives the steps ping motions. The devices for moving the lower limbs are precisely alike on both vsides of the body,

and the crank-pins g are aranged so that`one leg will.

rest upon thc rope while the other is sifted to make a step forward.

It, will be seen, by reference to iig. 5, that the lower limbs are bowed toward the median line of the body, so as to bring those-portions of the feet which are gi'ooved (at e e) in the same plane, thus preventing the ligure from stepping off vthe rope while walking.

The shaft of the two crank-plates G Gr has a trundle-pinion, J2, and a spur-whecl, J keyed on it.

The trundle is engaged bythe teeth of a spurwhcel, J, which is applied to a shaft, K, around which a clock-spring, S, is wound.V

By means of a pawl and ratchet1 r, and a key, the springS is wound up. c The wheel vJ 1 communicates rotary motion to a regulating-fan, 1t, through thc medium of spur-wheels J J 4, and J 5, which fan controls the speed of the mechanism.

B represents a case, which is shaped to represent the forni ofthe human body, and which is hinged behind, and connected together in front by ahook, b.

This case is applied to the frame B so as to incloseit, and it-is perforated at k to correspond with the end of the spring-shaft K, so that the key can be readily applied to this shaft.

'lhe figures may be 4clothed in any desirable inauuer.

Having described my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Leiters Patent, is

1. Ehe combination of a balancing-pole with a walking-automaton, substantially as described.

2. The guide c, in combination with the balancingpole and the wailiiiig-automaton, substantially as described.

3. The leg sections D and l), jointed together, pivoted to the traine A, and actuated so as to make stepping movements by means ot' rod F, guide f/, and crank-wheel G, substantially as described.

4. The diagonal grooves in the soles of the feet of the automaton, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

5. The soeketed pole section a, attached to thehands of the automaton, in combination with the -removable sections of the balancing-pole C, substantially as described.

(i. The case B, constructed with recesses or slots s s aud Ifastening b, in combination with the frame A of the walking-automaton, substantially as described.

7. The leg sections F ],`bowed inwardly in such manner that the feet of the automaton will step in the saine line, substantially as described.

HENRY A. HOUSE.

\Vituesses GEORGE C. BISHOP, JOHN H.V1Ntro.\'. 

